Michele Bachmann Explains Her Unsuccessful Leadership Bid

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) explained recently that there was no lasting resentment between her and other Republicans despite being passed over for a potential leadership position as the GOP Conference Chair, the party's fourth in command in the House.

"It was all good, it's just fine," Bachmann said of the decision by many GOP leaders to stand behind her potential opponent, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). "I am grateful for the unity we have in the conference."

Bachmann maintained that she had been a viable candidate, but that the necessary support just didn't materialize.

"I thought I had a lot to offer. I'd been an effective speaker on the national and local level on a lot of issues that people really cared about, so I threw my name in the ring when Mike Pence pulled his name out." Bachmann said. "And then it became clear pretty quickly I wasn't the leadership pick, my competition was, and so I made a lot of calls, but it just wasn't going to happen."

Asked if she thought the eventual choice to overlook her for a leadership spot had anything to do with GOP's failure to understand what she has repeatedly characterized as the importance of the Tea Party, Bachmann said no.

"Everything that they said at the leadership elections was very positive. They seemed very committed to the full-scale repeal of Obamacare, of not increasing spending -- in fact cutting it back, and making sure people's taxes don't go up." Bachmann said, "That's the heart and soul of the Tea Party movement and as long as we stay on that issue plane I think everybody's gonna be fine."